Set nets

I was curious to read this on Idiot’s blog.

Maui’s dolphin is the world’s most endangered dolphin species, with only 55 existing in the world. The biggest threat to their survival is fishermen, who have killed five of them in the past decade. But despite the loss of 10% of this critically endangered population, the government has refused to act, and has refused to ban set netting in the dolphin’s habitat.

When just the other day, I read this:

Mr Chiles is among 21 people who have been made redundant by Port Taranaki-based Ocean Pearl Fisheries, which in the winter catches almost all of its quota of blue warehou and rig within the two-nautical mile limit – and the fish species can only be caught using set nets.

He said he felt really sorry for Ocean Pearl owner Robert Ansley when he had to tell him and his fellow workers they had lost their jobs.

“All he could say was that he was sorry, but he couldn’t do anything about it because the Government’s announcement was ruining his business.

…

Mr Chiles said that in the more than 20 years he’s been fishing off Taranaki, he has never seen a Maui’s or a Hector’s dolphin, and never seen one caught in a gill net.

“I’ve seen heaps and heaps of common dolphins, but I’ve never seen one of them caught in a net either. That’s because dolphins swim on or near the surface, and set nets are placed along the sea bottom a bit like a fence.

So which is it? Is the government banning set nets (where it doesn’t need to) and costing jobs, or is it refusing to do anything and costing dolphins?

Oh, and least we forget, Idiot also loves telling us that John Key isn’t doing anything for jobs either.